Iron Man's First Christmas
by Chapin CSI
Summary: Part one: Children loved Obadiah Stane's Santa Claus; now that he's gone, someone has to take over the part but who? Not Tony; he hates Christmas. Plus, two alternative endings, one at Tony's house, and the other at Tony's private island.
1. Chapter 1

Iron Man's first Christmas

Humor, and a hint of romance.

I was Christmas shopping on Friday, and suddenly -out of nowhere- I pictured Obadiah Stane as Santa Claus...

* * *

Tony Stark signed one last document and handed it to his trusty Personal Assistant, Pepper Potts.

"That's the last one, right?" The question was rhetorical; he was already putting the pen back in its stand –or would have if Pepper hadn't anticipated his move; she took the pen from him and put it in the holder, and then made a check on her ever-present clipboard.

Tony glanced at her, then did a double take: Pepper was wearing a burgundy red suit; just like every other skirt-and-short she owned, except for the color. Pepper rarely wore such a vivid color.

It piqued his interest.

"Going to a party, Potts?"

"Yes."

"The Arlington Charity Ball?"

"That was last week, Tony."

"Oh, yeah." He paused. "The Andrews Foundation party?"

"That's next week." She looked up from her clipboard. "I'm going to a party right here, Tony."

"Oh, yeah? Here?"

"Yes. And so are you, by the way."

"Me? I don't think so. It's December 23d, Potts; time for the Tony Stark Annual Pilgrimage. Belize... private island... Remember?"

"Yeees," she said patiently. "But you must attend a party before you leave. A children's party."

Tony stared blankly at her.

"The children's Christmas party," she added helpfully. When that didn't elicit a response, she added, "The Christmas party Stark Industries offers to its employees' children…?"

"I don't go to children's parties, Potts." He said morosely. "Besides, that was Obadiah's gig all along, not mine."

"It's _your_ Company, Tony; it would mean a lot to the kids, now that Obadiah isn't here, anymore. They loved him as Santa, you know."

"Obie played Santa?"

"Uh, huh. With him gone, you're the next best thing."

Tony did a double take.

"Wait -what? Me? Why"

"Because you're the head of the company," she said calmly, "And since you're the one who blasted Obadiah Stane, it's only fair that you assume the -"

"Actually, that was you, Ms Potts; _you_ blasted him; _you_ wear the suit."

"I was following your orders," she countered, "Besides, Santa isn't female -"

"Well, wouldn't you like to be the first one? You're a feminist -how's that for equal opportunity?"

"Children expect a male Santa," she said with finality. She glanced at her wristwatch. "I arranged for your plane to leave at four, and that gives you exactly 2.5 hours to get ready." She smiled, "I'll help you practice on your jolly laughter."

He narrowed his eyes.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

She smiled. "Oh, yes. But don't worry, I'll help you."

Tony leant on the desk.

"I can't do it, Potts."

"Why not?"

"You can't expect Iron Man to wear a Santa Claus outfit!" he said as if it were obvious. "It's demeaning!" He paused. "Unless -"

"Unless what?"

"What if Iron Man himself delivered the gifts…? He could drop from the sky, hand over the gifts, then talk to the kids -you know, tell them not to do drugs, or steal... He could do that. What do you think?"

She sighed, "God, I wish you wouldn't refer to yourself in the third person -"

"Call me God again, and I'll stop doing it." He smiled winningly at her and, after a moment's hesitation, she smiled back.

_Here we go_, Tony thought. They'd been doing this lately –smiling at each other, and using every opportunity to flirt. It was all in good fun, though sometimes they used these little moments to get the other to submit in business matters. Usually, it was Tony who yielded: he knew Pepper had the company's best interests at heart, and she was better at human relations than him. And, let's face it, she looked great when she smiled.

_But not this time_. He was not going to yield on this one. _No. No way_. He was not…

But damn, she was smiling at him. And she was right; he'd killed Obadiah. So -

_No. _

_Not going to yield…_

_No... no way..._

And then, just as he was about to give in, his cell phone rang. Tony quickly took the call.

"Hey, Black," he said in greeting. "Nah, it's ok. …Yep. …Yep. ...What? ...Oh. Well, yeah, technically, I could build you a suit, but it would cost you. ...How much? Well, let's just say you'd have to make a dozen Kung Fu Panda movies more. ...Yeah. ...Ha, ha... Actually, I'm serious," he said curtly. But then, a sudden thought occurred to him. More cordially, he said, "But you know what? I could build you a mask. ...Yeah, a mask. And it wouldn't cost you a dime. All you have to do is play Santa at a party. Today. ...Yep. ...Ok. I'll send a chopper to pick you up."

A minute later, Tony Stark put down his phone.

"Problem solved," he said. "Jack Black's gonna be Santa this year."

Pepper was appalled.

"Tony..." she started, "This is… I can't believe it…" she couldn't even finish one sentence.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but believe me, I'm doing this for the kids."

"How can you say that?

"Well, look at it this way: I can pull off wearing Santa's clothes but do you think I can pull off the 'jolly' part?"

She stared at him.

"You're right," she said slowly.

"Right. Once again, Iron Man has saved the day." Pleased with himself, he rose and started putting on his jacket. "Well, Ms Potts? Do you think you can arrange for my plane to leave at noon as it was originally planned?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark," she said pertly. "I can do that." She walked dilligently to the door, then paused just before she opened it. "You know... It might not be so bad, with Mr. Black to smooth things out," She glanced over her shoulder. "I've heard he's cute in person."

And with that she closed the door... leaving an appalled Tony Stark.

* * *

The End


	2. Chapter 2

Iron Man's First Christmas, part two

* * *

Pepper Potts entered Tony's house and was immediately welcomed.

_"Good evening, Miss Potts. Merry Christmas."_

She smiled to herself. Tony may not celebrate Christmas, but he was scrupulous about JARVIS' correct programming.

"Merry Christmas to you too, JARVIS."

_"Do you require any assistance?" _For Pepper was hauling a suitcase and a number of packages into the darkened living room.

"It's ok, JARVIS, I can manage." Once she settled her packages, she looked up. "I'm going to spend a couple of days here, if you don't mind."

"_Not at all, Miss Potts. Would you like me to turn on all the lights?"_

"Only a few, JARVIS. I brought my own lights." And she opened the suitcase she'd brought into the room. Inside, there was a small fold-up Christmas tree, a string of lights, assorted ornaments, and lots of edible goodies she absolutely needed for her little Christmas party: marzipan, truffles, hams, jams, croissants, cheeses. And, (to quiet her conscience) a couple of reports that she needed to go over.

She popped a truffle in her mouth (to fortify her for the task ahead), and immediately set out to put up her Christmas tree.

She was humming a Christmas song as she worked, then realized she could do better than that.

"JARVIS? Could you play some Christmas music for me?"

Silence.

"JARVIS." She frowned. "JARVIS? Could you play some Christmas music?"

_"I cannot, Miss Potts."_

"You can't? But I thought you had an ample selection of music of all kinds."

_"I do, Miss Potts. But the last time I attempted to play Christmas music, Mr. Stark said he would sell me to an Atlantic City casino!"_

Pepper smiled.

"Well, don't worry; he's not going to find out. He's in his private island. He's probably on the beach right now. Frolicking with some bimbo -" she muttered under her breath.

_"He is not in his private island, Miss Potts."_

"Of course, he is," she said, as she put some tinsel on the tree. "I saw him board the plane myself."

_"The plane never left California."_

Pepper froze.

"What do you mean it never left California?"

_"It landed back fifteen minutes later."_

"Are you sure?" She frowned. It couldn't be true; she would have been the first to know if something wrong had happened… But JARVIS had never been wrong. "If he didn't leave, then where is he?"

JARVIS didn't reply.

"JARVIS?" she insisted, and suddenly, a horrible thought crossed her mind. Fearfully, she looked in the workshop direction. "JARVIS?" she said. "Is... Is he downstairs?"

This time there was a response, but not from JARVIS.

"I'm right here, actually."

Pepper turned abruptly.

Tony was standing in the shadowy end of the room, and it was only when he took a couple of steps into the light, that she saw him. Wearing jeans and his old MIT sweatshirt, Tony looked very much at home.

"So," he said. "This is what you do the minute I turn my back. Shame on you, Miss Potts."

"Tony! I... I..."

"Yes, you...you..." he said, mocking her. He advanced towards her, deliberately pacing himself, glancing around and taking in the tree, the open suitcase, the chocolates on the coffee table, and finally, her.

"You're not supposed to be here!" she blurted out.

"Neither are you," he replied. "You're supposed to be on your way to Boston."

"Did something happen to your plane?" she asked, sincerely worried. "Why wasn't I notified?"

"Relax," he said. "Nothing happened to the plane. Nothing wrong, that is. Flying just wasn't in my plans. You, on the other hand, should be flying right now. You were gonna spend the holidays with your parents, remember?"

"Was I?"

"Yes, Pepper."

She considered the possibility of lying, but she knew she'd never be able to pull it off.

"They're separated last March;" she said reluctantly. "I was supposed to spend half the day with my father and his girlfriend, then the other half with my mother and _her_ boyfriend, and... I couldn't do it. I can't take sides," she explained. "Instead, I decided I should do something that would make me happy."

"And _this_ makes you happy?" he asked in surprise.

She ignored the question.

"What I don't understand is why you even bothered to board the plane," she said. "If you didn't want to leave, all you had to do was say so."

"Yeah, but if I stayed, then you'd feel obligated to stay too. I know you."

She considered this for a second. "So, you pretended to leave, so I could have my vacation...?" She was silent for a moment. She frowned. "This is the first time you've done this, right?"

"Well..."

"Oh, please, don't tell me you've been doing this all these years!"

"Ok," he said. "I won't tell you that."

"Oh, Tony..." Just when she thought Tony Stark could not possibly be more adorable, he went and did this. She wanted to hug him. And kiss him. Oh, yeah, she wanted to hug him and kiss him. Actually, she wanted to hug him and kiss him and paw him all over –

-but she'd never do that.

Instead, she smiled primly.

"That was very sweet of you."

He didn't smile.

"Yeah, I'm sweet, but I'm not very forgiving, you know. You contaminated my house with this Christmas stuff and I want an explanation."

"Oh. You mean the tree -"

"And the lights, and the ornaments." He took a closer look at Pepper's suitcase. "And the chocolate. Do you know what that stuff is doing to your arteries?"

"Yes," she said, wishing she hadn't been gobbling truffles like they were grapes.

"And what's this -ham? You brought _cured meats _into my house? Jesus, Potts. And cheeses and candy, and -oooh, blueberry jam. I like that." He poked some more, then looked up. "Ok, the food I can understand, but what about the tree, and the lights?"

"I was going to remove everything before you came back, Tony; I swear!"

"That's not the point, is it?"

"No. No, it's not." She sighed. "Listen. I _am_ sorry. I crossed a line here, and you have every right to be angry. It's just that... I don't know; I just -I was -"

"You were lonely."

She was going to say no, but what was the use?

"Yes."

"And you'd rather spend Christmas here than at your own place."

"Yes."

"With JARVIS."

_"I've always welcomed Miss Potts' company, sir."_

"You just wanted a chance to play Christmas music," Tony retorted. He was going to say something else, then frowned. He looked at Pepper. "You didn't invite Black over, did you?"

"Tony! How can you think that I would -" But she really wasn't in a position to be offended and she knew it, so she meekly shook her head. "I didn't invite anybody."

"Ok, then," he said. "I can take the tree and the lights, and the chocolate," he added. "But not a guest. Especially one that's played Santa. How did the party go, by the way?"

Pepper smiled a little.

"It went very well. And the children loved the Iron Man cake."

"Good." He glanced around. "So. What are you gonna do now?"

"I'll remove everything, don't worry," she said, and she started with the box of chocolates.

"No, I was talking about the tree. Is it finished?"

"Why?" she asked cautiously.

"'Cause I want to see how it looks like once it's plugged in."

"Do you want to keep it?"

"Sure. I kinda like it. You didn't chop a live one, at least." He examined the ornaments. "I might come up with my own line of Iron Man Christmas ornaments next year, you know."

"I thought you hated Christmas."

"Just the songs. And Santa."

"Why do you hate poor Santa?"

"It's a long story," he said, then, "Nah, it's not. Look, when I was a kid, I used to get a pile of gifts every year -from Santa. But he was supposed to give gifts to good kids only, and I was not a good kid, so this guy had to be a clueless imbecile, right?"

She cringed.

"Clueless imbecile? Oh, Tony -"

"Well, he had to be; I mean, come on!"

"First of all, you couldn't have been that bad; secondly, you eventually found out it was your parents giving you those gifts, didn't you?"

"Yes, but that only made it worse, 'cause it was like they were hiding behind this fat guy in a suit. Why couldn't they admit the gifts were from them? Why couldn't they just look me in the eye and say, 'here, this is for you, 'cause we love you.'" He paused, then a bit sheepishly, he admitted. "It's childish stuff, I know. Don't mind me." He looked away, and his eyes fell on a tiny ornament that Pepper hadn't hung up yet. He picked it. It was a tiny gold bell. "Aren't you gonna hang this?"

"You do it," she said.

He hesitated. "You sure you wanna trust me with this?"

"I'm sure."

He examined the tree from every angle, then finally spotted a bare branch. He hung the bell, then stepped back.

"What do you think?"

Pepper didn't reply. She wasn't even looking. She was rummaging inside the suitcase until she found what she was looking for: a small package, wrapped in blue.

She held it in her hand for a moment, wondering if this was the right time to do this. Wondering if she _dared_ do this.

She took a deep breath and after a brief hesitation, she walked up to Tony and offered it to him.

"Here," she said. She waited till his gaze met hers. "I love you."

Tony stared at her.

_'Please take it'_, she prayed. _takeittakeittakeittakeit..._

Tony's hand shook a little when he took the gift.

"What is it?"

"Open it."

He didn't. He looked down at it, then at her.

"I didn't get you anything."

"It's ok."

"It's not ok," he said. "I should give you something. That's the deal, right?"

"Tony, it's not a 'deal'; it's just a gesture -"

But he was looking around as if there should be something in there for her. Then on an impulse, he grabbed her hand.

"I've got something for you," he said, and he pulled her hand in his direction.

Pepper cringed. For a second, she was sure he was going to put her hand on his crotch, (which is what an old boyfriend of hers did one Christmas. 'Hey, baby, here's what I've got for you', he'd said right after she'd given him a nice tie. She didn't exactly mind, but why couldn't men be a little bit more romantic...).

She closed her eyes and braced herself... And suddenly, her hand met a hard surface... At chest level.

She opened her eyes and gasped when she saw her hand lying flat on his chest.

"This belongs to you," he said solemnly. "Well, not the reactor," he added, "My heart, I mean."

She blinked.

"Are you… are you serious?"

"Sure. I mean, if you want it. What about you? Were you serious?"

"Uh, huh."

"I love you, too," he said, a bit awkwardly.

She smiled.

"You don't mind that I eat chocolate, then?"

"Nah, it's ok," he said. "You put up with second-hand smoke for years, I can put up with second-hand chocolate now." He was about to kiss her, when JARVIS spoke.

_"Would you like me to play some appropriate music for the occasion, sir?"_

Tony glared.

"If by 'appropriate' you mean Christmas music, I'll make you watch the scary parts of Space 2001 again. Remember HAL?"

_"I'll be quiet, Mr. Stark."_

"Aw, Tony; let him play some," she said, just to tease him.

"Oh, all right," he said. "You want music? I'll give you music." And to her surprise, he sang, while twirling her around the coffee table,

"Through the years we all will be together  
If the Fates allow...

Pepper gulped. Once again, just when she thought Tony couldn't be more adorable, he went out and did this. She wished she could hug him; hug him and kiss him... hug him and kiss him and paw him all over…

Oh, wait, she could do all those things now!

And she did.

* * *

The end

Have yourself a merry little Christmas is one of my favorite songs.


	3. Chapter 3

Iron Man's First Christmas

Another alternate ending for part 1...

* * *

The pilot checked something on the panel, then spoke into his mouthpiece again.

"…Requesting permission to land," he said. "I repeat: This is Lone Eagle 45CYX requesting permission to land…"

Pepper listened with growing concern as the man repeated his message. He'd been going at it for five minutes, but so far they hadn't got any response.

She looked out the window at the tiny island below. The pilot swore this was Tony Stark's private island, but she had her doubts. The island looked frankly deserted. The vegetation was lush and wild -surely no gardener had ever worked there- and there were no docks anywhere.

Pepper had asked the man if he was sure this was Tony's private island. Twice. The man wasn't offended. He was too arrogant for that. Instead, he'd used a condescending tone that set Pepper's teeth on edge: "Of course, I'm sure, _honey_. Mr. Stark has used our services quite a few times in the past." And then, to make it matters worse, "So, how long have you been with Mr. Stark again?" meaning, 'How come you, his Personal Assistant, have never been here before?'

And Pepper didn't have an answer to that.

The pilot looked up.

"I made contact." He touched a button on the panel, and a familiar voice spoke.

_"This is private property, Lone Eagle. Kindly turn back."_

Pepper leant forward.

"JARVIS, it's me."

_"Who is this?"_

"It's Pepper," she said, louder this time.

_"I am not deaf, young lady,"_ JARVIS said primly. There was a brief pause, and then, _"There seems to be a misunderstanding. I have no record of any purchases for condiments."_

"What? No. JARVIS, I'm Pepper Potts." Pause. "Mr. Stark's assistant," she added, in case the circuits in JARVIS data base were malfunctioning.

_"Mr. Stark's assistant is in Malibu, Kindly contact her at 555 -"_

"No, you don't understand. It's me, Pepper Potts. I have some documents that require Mr. Stark's signature, and -" To her surprise, a noise that sounded very much like a snort interrupted her.

_"I don't think so," _JARVIS said, voice dripping skepticism.

"What does that mean?"

_"Miss Potts would have made sure that Mr. Stark took care of business before going away on vacation."_

Pepper blushed.

"You're right. I should have made sure he signed everything. But -" But Tony had never, ever failed to sign all documents presented to him.

Until today.

JARVIS' voice was icy cold as he added, _"And the real Miss Potts would never intrude on Mr. Stark's vacation either. Therefore, you are an imposter, probably hired by the tabloids or -"_

"Oh, JARVIS, for crying out loud! You know perfectly well it's me. Just check the voice records!"

_"If you were Miss Potts, you would never presume to issue orders to strangers,"_ JARVIS replied. There was a brief sound in the background then, as if somebody else had entered a room.

A raspy female voice whispered. _"Let me -"_

_"No. I have it covered -"_

Pepper's heart started beating faster. There was something horribly wrong going on. Someone had taken over the island, and they were using JARVIS voice to keep intruders off.

"Who is this?" she asked sternly; "Where is Mr. Stark? Listen. Whoever you are -"

_"There is no need to get hysterical, young lady," _the woman chided. _"If you would kindly –Oh."_

A different voice spoke then. "It's ok, Potts."

It was Tony's voice.

"Tony? Oh, my God, it's you?"

"Sure. Who did you expect?"

"JARVIS is gone berserk," Pepper said spitefully. "He didn't recognize my voice, and -"

"He didn't? Well, you gotta give him a break, Potts. He's 80 years old after all."

"80-years old? I don't understand -"

"You'll see."

...

It was a day full of surprises for Pepper Potts. The first surprise was, of course, the fact that Tony had failed to sign a page in that contract. It had forced her to rent a plane and go to Tony's sanctuary, something she never dreamed of doing.

The second surprise was the island. It looked tiny and unkempt. But once they flew over it… Once the vegetation _parted_ to reveal the landing strip… It was obvious this was no ordinary place of recreation.

Then there was the house. It was a small version of the house in Malibu -or maybe it was the other way around, with this house giving Tony the inspiration to go bigger in California? And the garden... the little she could see of it… it made her want to take off her shoes and go exploring.

But duty awaited, and so she walked straight to the house. She was about to start climbing the stairs, when the door opened, and she got yet another surprise.

A crotchety old man in a black suit and starched shirt stood there.

"Welcome to Mr. Stark's home, Miss Potts."

Words failed her. The man sounded just like JARVIS! But good God, he was old, and so it looked as if he were mouthing a recording made by a much younger man. The effect was staggering.

But she knew who he was.

"You are Edwin Jarvis," Pepper said in awe. Tony's butler and confidante; the perfect manservant –so perfect, Pepper had often wondered if he was real or only the product of Tony's wishful thinking.

Jarvis opened his mouth but before he could speak, a little old woman who'd been standing behind him, leant out to give her a look.

She pulled at Jarvis' sleeve.

"She hasn't identified herself, Edwin."

"Hello," Pepper said, "I am Pepper Potts."

The old lady pulled Jarvis' sleeve again. "Surely, Pepper can't be her real name?"

"It's not," Pepper admitted. "But Mr. Stark -"

The old lady looked at Pepper. Actually, 'glare' was more precise. "Young lady, I will deal with you presently."

Pepper looked inquiringly at Jarvis.

"My wife," he said. "Moira."

"Hello," Pepper said, attempting a friendly smile. The woman frowned, as if she didn't understand the words. "I'm Virginia Potts," she added helpfully. "Mr. Stark's Assistant."

The woman studied Pepper for a moment, then turned to Jarvis. "She's not that pretty!"

Pepper winced. Meanwhile, the woman went on with growing confidence. "She's too thin," she added. "And her attire is completely inappropriate for a warm climate."

Pepper looked down. She was still wearing the burgundy suit. "I was in a hurry," she explained.

"A lady should always be prepared for any eventuality," the old lady said. "A real Personal Assistant would know that."

Pepper had a ready retort for that, then remembered Personal Assistants didn't argue with little old ladies.

She smiled. "Would you be so kind to tell Mr. Stark I am here?"

"I shall not," the old lady retorted. "He is on vacation."

"I know he's on vacation," Pepper replied, her smile faiding. "But I need to speak to Tony, and -"

"_Mister Stark_ will come presently," Jarvis said.

"Or not," the old lady said. "He may do as he pleases in this house." She gave Pepper an appraising look. "How many languages can you speak?"

"Three," Pepper said defiantly. Her Spanish was a bit weak but it was more than ok.

"Mr. Stark's former Assistant spoke five."

"Is that so?" Pepper smiled sweetly. "Did you know she also tried to rob him?"

"And she was very pretty. And she never dared intruding here. "

"Moira," Jarvis said. But if Pepper expected him to tell the old lady to watch her tongue, she was sorely disappointed. "We must make allowances," he said, in a condescending manner. Obviously, Jarvis didn't approve of Pepper either.

Pepper tried to be reasonable.

"Please. I would not intrude on Mr. Stark's privacy but this is very important."

"Mr. Stark's former Assistant -"

But whatever Moira was going to say was lost, because Tony finally appeared.

"Hi, Potts."

Pepper was relieved beyond words. "Tony! Oh, thank God!"

Tony tilted his head in the elderly couple's direction. "I see you're making friends already."

Pepper gave him a look that said, 'are you kidding?'

"I thought so," Tony said knowingly. "Ok, you two," he added, looking at the servants. "Go play somewhere else."

They smiled in complicity. Moira even curtsied. "Shall I put another setting for the table, Mr. Stark?"

Tony glanced at Pepper before replying. "I'll let you know." He waited till they were gone. "Sorry about that. They're still trying to protect me, after all these years."

"They're terrors," she said. But he was smiling, and she couldn't help to smile back. She took a moment to study him. He looked happy and relaxed. Handsome too, but that was the kind of thing she tried hard not to notice, so she held up her clipboard. "I'm sorry to bother you, Tony, but -"

"What is it?"

"Page 28 from the Stewell Contract," she said. "You need to sign it." He took the clipboard from her and read the page. "I'm sorry; I should have checked sooner."

"Oh, it's ok." His eyes darted about the page, seemingly without purpose. "Flew by plane, did you? I mean, helicopters can be faster, but -"

"Mac Peterson brought me," she said. She was still looking at his eyes. They were beautiful. And his hands… oh, God, his hands -

She shook her head firmly, breaking the spell.

Tony signed at last and handed her the clipboard.

"So. What are your plans?"

"Well…"

"You were supposed to catch a plane, weren't you?" he glanced at his watch. "I guess you could still make it."

"I'll manage," Pepper said. What else was she supposed to say? _My plans are shot because you didn't sign a page, and now I'm gonna have to stay home, alone for the holidays_? No way.

Tony was looking attentively at her.

"You wouldn't like to stay over for dinner, would you?"

Pepper didn't immediately reply. Normally, you either said yes or no (mostly 'yes') to whatever your boss asked of you, but Tony's question was uncharacteristically diffident.

"Well… I don't know."

"Let me rephrase that," Tony said promptly. "Stay. Have dinner with me."

"I…"

"Stay the entire weekend," Tony added. "We have lots of room."

Pepper's heart started to beat faster. She wanted to stay, oh, yes. But it wouldn't be appropriate.

"I'd love to, Tony, but…" But what? Ironically, Moira's words helped. "I really have nothing to wear."

"Oh, you can borrow something from Moira."

_Yeah, right._ "I also have to take this back to LA." She raised her clipboard. "Page 28, remember?"

"Oh, that's ok. I spoke to the Stewells; I told them we'd be send them the contract later next week."

Pepper froze.

"What do you mean you spoke to the Stewells?"

"Well, I had to, considering I didn't sign all the pages." He smiled.

Pepper didn't smile back. "You mean, you knew you didn't sign it?"

"Of course I knew. Potts, please, have I ever failed to sign something? I purposefully left it out."

"But… but… why?"

Tony was maddeningly matter-of-fact. "Because it was the only way to get you down here."

She frowned. "But I would have come here the minute you asked me."

"I suppose," Tony nodded. "But I wanted to do it this way. No, wait," he added, "That sounds like I planned this. I didn't. It was just a spur of the moment thing. You know me; I thrive on the unexpected."

"Really," She said dryly; "Would a punch on the nose be unexpected, Mr. Stark?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't dare."

Pepper glared at him. "Really, Tony, sometimes…"

"What? This is fun, come on." he smiled at her -the seductive smile that worked every time. "You're stranded on a beautiful island… With lots of food and drink at your disposal. Come on. Say you'll have dinner with me."

"And what about the gruesome twosome? Are they going to be there too?"

"Well, yeah. This is their island after all."

"Their island?"

"Sure. You didn't think they were still working for me, right? They're the legitimate owners; they just let me crash now and then. Gives them a chance to play dress-up and act silly." He smiled mischievously; he obviously enjoyed the old people's games.

Pepper tried hard not to be seduced by that smile.

"Yes, well, all the more reason not to stay," she retorted; "Moira hates me."

Tony chuckled. "That's my Mum-mum," he said fondly. "Look; you may not believe this, but beneath that leathery exterior beats a heart of gold."

"Hard as gold, I suppose."

Tony shook his head. "She got carried away, that's all. I've been on and on about you for years, telling her how wonderful you are, and how beautiful, and how you take care of me..." He shrugged. "She just couldn't believe you were real."

Pepper stared at him. He'd never -ever- said such wonderful things to her before. Her mouth moved… but no word came.

"But you are," he said. He reached for her hand and held it. Then he slowly raised his gaze and met hers. And the look in his eyes spoke louder than words.

Overwhelmed, Pepper looked down. She couldn't believe this was going on.

"Tony… I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll stay for dinner. Say you'll stay and be friends with those two."

Pepper smiled reluctantly.

"Moira doesn't think I'm good enough for you," she said softly.

"Give her a little time," he said gently; "By tomorrow, she'll realize you're too good for me."

She looked up. "No, don't say that. You're just right for me."

* * *

the end


End file.
